Sunday, December 1, 2013

Out of This World: The Space Orb House

Most people refer to the solitary "Geosphere" along a lonely stretch of Arizona's I-40 as the "Golf Ball House." I can understand; in very general terms it resembles a giant golf ball. Given that it is raised from the ground by a tower, I will further concede that it does appear to be perched atop a tee just waiting for a 340-foot golfer to come along and whack it across the continental fairway and into the great water trap that is the Atlantic Ocean. However, this place shares neither the color nor the telltale dimples of a standard-issue golfball. And, really, when was the last time anyone saw a golf ball with windows?

I like to believe that I am above striking the typical "tourist" poses, but
when one goes to Pisa, one must hold up the leaning tower. When one
goes to Yucca, AZ, one must cup the space orb. One cannot,
however, be expected to make like Atlas and keep one's eyes open.

This "golf ball" is an inspired bit of roadside architecture. Given its prominence in the vast desert scape that could easily be taken for the wastelands of an alien planet, I think the house deserves a name with more dignity, more mystery, and more intergalactic drama. I will henceforth refer to it as the "Space Orb."

Clearly, the owners are on the same page, as the grounds are a friendly landing
field to a fleet of small-scale spaceships, flying saucers, and UFO's.

As a private residence, the Space Orb is not open for exploration but the location makes for a great place to stop and take some out-of-this-world pictures (next time I think we will wear our moon suits). Respecting the gate on the staircase that restricted access to the home, we definitely made use of the onsite convenience store's facilities and replenished the road trip snack reserves.

The convenience store sells UFO parachuters at the counter as an impulse buy.
Clearly, I have mastered my impulse issues; ordinarily, at twenty-five cents apiece,
I would have bought the whole barrel. A master of self-control, I bought only two.
Do you know how many tokens and how games of skee-ball it takes me to earn enough
tickets to get just one parachuter at the Family Fun Center?! A quarter was a steal!

Call it a golf ball, a UFO, or a space orb, this house is more fun than anyone else is providing in Yucca, AZ. It is so remote that it would make an awesome set for a photo shoot, video, or film. I might pitch the idea for my next project, "Mr. Tiny versus the Orb Women" to the owners and see if we can launch that into orbit.